Effect of the decreased frequency of going out on the association between anxiety and sleep disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mediation analysis

The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between anxiety and sleep disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate whether sleep disorder is mediated by the decreased frequency of going out. The data of a total of 1976 residents aged 18 years and over who had responded to a self-reported questionnaires at a health survey in 2020 were analyzed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on their response to the questionnaire on anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep disorder was measured using the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). A cross-sectional analysis was performed to examine the association between anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic and AIS scores. Mediation analysis was used to calculate the association between anxiety and AIS scores during the COVID-19 pandemic, with decreased frequency of going out as a potential mediating variable. In the cross-sectional study, the level of anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with the AIS score (p